Healing can be such a hard topic to discuss. For one, it’s hard for us to wrap our minds around God’s supernatural power in the first place. But also, it’s even harder for us to comprehend why God instantly heals some sometimes, and others He makes wait. A few things I know for certain are this: God can and does still heal today. God’s word is always true. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are beyond ours.
With all of this in mind, I want to share two personal testimonies of healing to stir your faith and share lessons I’ve learned through the process.
In 2016, I fell rock climbing and tore every ligament in my ankle, except my Achilles, and had to get an entire ankle reconstruction. At this time, I didn’t know much about God’s power for healing, so I just prayed for a fast/ good recovery from surgery and didn’t press in through prayer for much else. The surgery was successful, however, a year after the surgery, I found out I’d need a second surgery because there was so much scarred tissue and lack of full range of motion in my ankle. I found this out right before I was leaving on a yearlong mission trip called the World Race which wouldn’t give me time to have the surgery before my trip.
Between the first surgery and news of the second, I had learned a lot more about healing from Jesus, specifically that the same power that rose Jesus from the grave is alive inside of His believers and through His spirit we have access to the gift of healing! This was the perfect set up to be leaving on a yearlong mission trip. I thought surely this would be the perfect opportunity to see Jesus’s power in action by healing me on a mission trip! After all, don’t people always have radical testimonies on mission trips? Although, it didn’t quite play out like that.
For the whole year, I lived with constant pain and lack of range of motion in my ankle which was very difficult and disappointing. I was seeing miracles happen left and right for other people and was constantly being tested in my faith to continue trusting God for my healing. I remember one night crying out to Him asking why He had overlooked me and didn’t care about my pain. He told me, so gently and kindly, that His ways are not my ways and He has a purpose for everything.
When I got home from the trip, my second surgery was scheduled, and my heart was let down by the fact God didn’t heal me supernaturally. Although He did reveal to me, through His Spirit, I was still being healed, so my prayers were being answered, and I thanked Him for that. Then the miracle came.
Surgery went as expected, and I was brought to post-op care until I woke up from anesthesia. While I was still under anesthesia I started telling my post-op nurse about Jesus! And as I began coming to, I opened my eyes and saw four nurses standing at the foot of my bed listening to me talk, and one asked “Are you a missionary?” (Naturally, I said yes, not just because I had just come home from a yearlong mission trip, but because according to scripture, that is the identity of every believer!) This scene blew my mind and I realized God’s greater purpose in having me wait on my healing. You see, if I hadn’t gone through surgery, I wouldn’t have made it to post-op, under the care of the post-op nurses who had just heard the good news of Jesus! This was God’s greater goal: not only for my healing, but also for the spiritual/ eternal healing of others! If I had been healed supernaturally, I would’ve never had that encounter with the post-op nurses.
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Three years later, I was on a camping trip with some friends and I fell on my bad ankle while hiking. It hurt so bad that I couldn’t even walk on it. I was not only in pain, but I was also extremely frustrated to have an issue with my ankle again. My boyfriend came to help me limp back to the group since I couldn’t walk on my own. When we reached our group, they decided to all pray for me. The laid hands, prayed according to scripture and that was it. I didn’t have any crazy supernatural feelings or sensations. As the group started off again, my boyfriend, who was still being my crutch, began to walk with me, and we realized I was able to fully support my own weight! As we kept walking, the pain completely disappeared!!! We both stopped in our tracks and just stared at each other with our jaws dropped. We were so amazing that God had just done this miracle before our very eyes!!!! And I was brought to tears seeing the long awaited miracle and answered prayer come to pass! This built both of our faith, and our friends who were with us, so greatly! We have both shared this testimony with others and have been able to pray for more people’s healings since then!
I wanted to share both of these testimonies of being healed instantly and waiting on healing, because I know both are real, and God teaches us something different in both circumstances. You see, God’s ways are higher than ours and His plan is bigger than us! He has puzzle pieces work together to affect more than just our own individual lives. I don’t always know why God makes us wait for certain requests, nor why he immediately shows His power at other times, but what I do know is that He is good. His plan is good. His timing is perfect. And everything He does and allows He works together for the good of those who love Him! So if you’re waiting on your healing, or any miracle for that matter, instead of doubting God’s power or His love (as the enemy always tempts us to do), why don’t you try asking Him what His purpose is or what He wants to teach you in your waiting! He is a good steward who loves you and won’t waste a single moment or opportunity to build His kingdom and that’s a truth you can stand on!
This week’s memory verse:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV
Love,
Ashley
FTO Co-founder
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